Monday the 3rd

1 Corinthians 10: ¹²So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

 

I was asked this weekend if I knew I was going to heaven. My answer was, today….yes. If we go today, I am going. Of course the next  question was what do you mean? Something might happen that would change that? Yes, something could happen that would change that. Am I saying that God will withdraw His  love? Never, nothing can separate us from God’s love….but we can choose not to accept it. We can become so sure of ourselves that we forget who we are and where we come from. I think of the Sanhedrin, and Pharisees, all of the “holy Men” of Christ’s day. Were they not sure of themselves? They had become so involved in their religion, they lost their faith. That is my fear, and that is why I will always answer that question the same….today yes….you see today I know that I am nothing without Christ. Today I know I am a recovering sinner. Today I remember just how lost I was, and how sinful my life was. Everyday is a struggle. The sin addiction is a tough one indeed, and much like a drug addict the battle is fought one day at a time. This warning was not for the people new to the faith. No it was for those that knew the word, had heard the truth spoken, and were living the new life with Christ. This warning still applies today. It is easy to become so sure of yourself that you become what you despised. The gossip, the people who are more than happy to condemn you while forgetting about themselves….these are the modern day Pharisees. These are people who have fallen, and do not even realize it.  Yes we can all fall, we can all transgress, but let us be aware, let us be present, let us never allow ourselves to become so sure of ourselves that we don’t realize the ground is no longer under us. So yes, today I am good, but tomorrow the sun will rise again, and the struggle will resume. Stand firm, don’t fall.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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Friday the 30th

Acts 13: ²²After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'

 

A man after the Lord’s heart, if anything could be said about me on my death bed that one thing would be more than enough. The story of David is a great one indeed. No one could argue that David accomplished great things in the name of the Lord. However, David was not perfect., and that gives this recovering sinner a great deal of hope. David was very human, he made some great choices, and he made some bad ones of epic proportions. The same could be said for each of us aw well could it not? David’s story reminds each of us that God is not expecting perfection, He is expecting devotion. The Lord created us, He knows that we will make mistakes, He knows that we will stumble. The question that He needs an answer to, is will we recover? Will we pick ourselves up, and carry the cross that we have been given, or will we drop it on the side of the road and continue down the road without Him? That was David’s redeeming quality….he never gave up. He praised the Lord during his seasons of joy, and when his poor choices led him into a season of pain, David still continued to praise the Lord. David recognized his transgressions, and made it a point to rededicate his life to the Lord. If David, a man after the Lords heart was less than perfect, then what does that say about and for us? It tells us that we serve a great, and understanding God.  It tells us that God does not see what man sees. Man looks to the outside, God looks within. It tells us that each one of us has the opportunity to be like David, each one of us has the opportunity to stop where we are right now, recognize our transgressions, and reconnect with the Lord. May each one of us find the strength to do just that, so that we too might be known as a person after the Lord’s own heart!

 

Have a great weekend,

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Thursday the 29th

John 12:  ⁴⁷"As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.

 

 

These are the words of Christ. "I did not come to judge the world, but to save it."  If we look at the word judge in its original text we see that it is krinō

Properly to distinguish, that is, decide (mentally or judicially); to try, condemn, punish: - avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.

 So if Christ is not prepared to judge those that do not keep His word yet, why are we? Why are we so ready to jump on to the band wagon and condemn those that do not fall in line with the word of the Lord? If Christ did not condemn anyone to hell while He was here, why do so many Christians feel strangely OK with telling people that they are going to hell? Don't get me wrong here, there is nothing wrong with disagreeing, there is nothing wrong with gentle correction, and we are expected to hold fast to the Word of the Lord, but the hard part is accepting the fact that many will not agree with us. Many will hear the Word and turn their backs. That my friends is not an instant ticket to the fast train to hell. If that were the case then Paul would have been condemned to hell long before he became an apostle of Christ. Moses would have been condemned before he could be called to lead the Israelites, and if that was the case……well I know that I would have been condemned from a fairly early age.  The Lord comes to each of us at different times in our lives, for you it might have been at a young age, for others it might not be until very late in life. The point is, if we spend all of our time condemning, and judging, we don't leave much room for compassion, and love.  If people are to follow our example, as we follow Christ's, and all they see is judgment, and iron fisted rule, then we are not giving the true picture of Christ. We do a disservice to our youth, and to the Lord Himself.  So who is judging whom? Will we not have to stand by our actions, just the same as the next person? Christ goes on to tell us that the very words He spoke will condemn on the last day. That will be the time for judgment, and it will not be you or I in the judgment seat. To make it simple, Love breeds compassion, which breeds understanding, understanding brings about a change of heart, and perspective. Judgment brings about finality, anger, and resentment…..Which did Christ portray when He walked the face of this earth? Which will you choose to show the world? Remember, 3 John1:11  "Anyone who does what is evil has  have not seen God"…….yet.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Wed the 28th

John 14: ¹⁰Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

 

 

The Father is living in Christ doing His work. Christ came to fulfill the prophecies and bring us eternal life, the great things He did while He was walking the earth were not just Him, they were His Father fulfilling His plan. This scripture goes on to read:  ¹²I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. So we are here to continue what God started in His Son. We are to carry out the continuation of His divine plan. The exciting part is that Christ tells His disciples that those who believe will do even greater things that He has done. Now we know that none of us will do anything bigger than what Christ has done by giving us the gift of eternal life, but if we look at the Greek word used : meizon we find that it means larger as in more than previously accomplished. Have we not accomplished just that, more of what Christ started, more forgiveness, more compassion, more love. Has His word not spread across the globe? We have accomplished greater things, but we are far from finished. You have work to do, and so do I. We have to continue to do greater works. We have to continue to reach further, and run faster. The Holy Spirit burns within each of us, urging us forward so that we might run the good race and run to win. You are destined to do great things. Each of us are. If you don’t think you are capable of it, then read the text again…because Christ has died for us, our bounds are limitless. You will do great things, you will continue the works of the Lord. Why? Because just as the Father lives in Christ, so Christ resides in us. Our accomplishments and our words are not ours alone, but they are the accomplishments of the Lord. Don’t tell me great things cannot come from that! We have to realize that we are not just trudging through the day a soul less corps. We are believers in Christ. The Son of God almighty. He has great works to accomplish, and He will work through you to accomplish them. Greater things are to come, and you my fellow Christians are the vessels of the Lord that will carry it out.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Monday the 26th

Acts 11: ¹⁷So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?"

 

“who was I to think I could oppose God”……We all have choices to make in our lives. We all are put in the same situation as Peter was. God makes His will clear, and we have a choice. Do we follow it (even if we do not understand right at the beginning) or do we decide to head off in the direction that we “know” to be right? How often do we feel a pull to go in a direction that we know will not be comfortable for us? How often do we feel urged to step out of our comfort zone, yet we decline the offer? Peter had no idea what was to come of this journey, he simply knew that he must go….and who was He to question God…..when he got there Peter went inside the house, a house that under law was forbidden for him to enter…… but who is he to question God….. and then once Peter started the preaching the blessings start pouring out….on to people that were thought to be beyond God’s help……What was Peter to do after all…..who can oppose God? This message is a clear reminder that no one is beyond the Lord’s reach….no one. It reminds us that no one knows the Lord’s plan fully…..no one. Most of all it is a reminder that no one can oppose God…..NO ONE.. What is God calling you today? Where is the Lord pointing you to go? Is it down a path that is unfamiliar to you? Maybe the road looks rough, and seldom used. Whatever the case one thing is clear, He needs you to go. HE needs you to take that step….that first, so important first step in faith, and trust that while we might not understand the plan, we understand and know that God is with us, and who are we to oppose God?

 

I lift up my wife in prayer today, and ask for you to please do the same. she has been sick…..worse that I have seen her in quite a while, who know….maybe it is God’s way of slowing her down….maybe it is God’s way of reminding me of all the things that she does that I take for granted…whatever the case, please pray that today she finds her strength renewed, her faith strengthened, and her body revitalized. Amen

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Thursday the 22nd

John 6: ⁶⁶From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

 

Jesus was a popular guy among the common people. When He showed up, people would flock to see Him, and many would follow Him when He left their town. They would follow….until it got hard. One thing that always strikes me is that it is never recorded that Jesus went after those who left Him. He was never heard to say, “hey guys, wait up….where are you going?” In doing so, Christ showed us one of the hardest examples we should follow. Learning to let people go. Christ knew that there would be many people who would not follow, He knew that there would be people who would come, listen, then leave. He never missed a beat, He never faltered. He just kept marching down His path set before Him by His Father. If only we could find a portion of that strength! How often do we clamor for the fellowship of people who really do nothing but drag us down? How often do we chase after people begging them to stay, yet knowing all the while that they do not really support us? We are taught to believe that the more people that we have with us, the stronger we are. We are told that it is better to keep the peace, and hold on to friends than it is to hold fast to the truth, and lose that relationship. It can be a painful lesson to learn, but one that we must all learn sooner or later. It is called “standing on the rock”. The rock is Jesus Christ. It is called living the truth, that truth is yet again Christ. It is about never standing alone, even when you find that you are standing by yourself. Your constant companion….anyone…anyone…yep, Jesus Christ. When we start living life on the rock, we will have people in our lives that will find it hard to continue to be our friends. We will have people that were close to us (or so we thought) judge us, and hold us out as traitors to the friendship. We cannot focus on what we lose, we have to learn to let them leave. It is not a matter of how many we lose, it is what we have to gain that counts. Christ knew what was on the line….eternal life for all. Christ knew who sent Him, and what was expected form Him. Armed with that knowledge Christ was unwavering. So we should be. We too know who sent us, we too know the expectations. SO we too must learn that while life on the rock can be challenging, it is the only life worth living, because it is the only life that is eternal. We will have people who will turn their backs on us, we will have people who turn their alliance on us. Let them go. I don’t know about you, but I would rather stand with the Trinity surrounding me, and stand alone on judgment day, than stand with a crowd of a thousand that never found the rock.

 

 

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Wed. the 21st

John 6: ³⁷All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

 

Good things here…..Goooood things! Here we see Christ once again saying that anyone who comes to him he will never drive away. I know, I know, your are all saying come on Brian we all know that. That is no new news! But just because you know it does not mean you believe it, and just because you believe it, does not mean that we live it! You might say of course I believe it, but do you? Are you convinced? Are you convicted? Have you allowed that truth to settle into your heart, and really understand what that means? See… we all know Christ will accept everyone of us, but do you believe it about yourself? It is quite human, do we not find ourselves throughout the day setting people on different levels? You might say I love everyone…..but I love this person more than that person, or I will keep this person close, but this one I will keep at arms distance? As the world ahs taught us… we might love everyone…..we just don’t love everyone the same. As a result, this is how we view how we are loved. Is it not a question that we ask others? “how much do you love me?” As if we are waiting to be ranked. The truth is there is no ranking to Christ, He loves me as much as He loves the next person…..as much as He loves you. We live in fear of being driven out of the group. We are worried that others might find out about some aspect of our lives and as a result they will no longer love us the same. We worry that if we do not agree with our peers then we might be cast out. So I ask you again…..do you believe that Christ loves YOU so much, that once you come to Him, He will NEVER drive you away? I will tell you this, there is nothing you can hide from the Lord, He already knows it. There is nothing that you can do to drive Him away, because you were chosen before you were born. You are loved in your darkest hour, in your moment of shame, in your time of disappointment….when you think that you have done the worst that you could do, and there is no way anyone you know would claim you as their own….there is One that is there. There is One that has His hand out, There is One who saw the fall coming, and ran ahead to be there to help pick you up. Yes God loves us…..but most importantly…the Lord loves YOU. I will say it again, the Lord loves you, not only does He love you, but He loves you so much that He will never leave you once you commit to Him. Will you accept that love? Will you allow the Lord a place in your heart so that He might love you fully? Will you let yourself become convicted of the fact that you are loved, and that love will never be withdrawn? Yes, we all know that God loves the world, but do you know how much God loves YOU?

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><